Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D13/00—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches
  • A41D13/05—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches protecting only a particular body part
  • A41D13/0506—Hip

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device for protection of the hips of the human body comprising a belt part arranged to surround the human body at least in the area of the hip, which at least is partly made of an elastic material having a inner surface and an outer surface, and hip protection means.
• hip protector means with energy dispersing materials protect- ing the greater trochanter decreases the number of hip fractures compared to persons with no hip protection by up to 53%.
• Such a garment with hip protector means which is known from for instance US 6,195,809 and WO 96/20615, can be difficult for persons of the above mentioned risk groups to put on and take off during changing of clothes, while going to the toilet or other similar activities.
• a different way of fixing the hip protector means is by sticking the hip protector means directly to the skin over the greater trochanter, a so-called self-sitting protection.
• the protectors can be difficult to put on, so that the protectors are placed correctly over the greater trochanter and so that they will not fall off during an activity were moisture is generated between the skin and the protectors.
• the underpants with hip protectors nor the self-sitting protection are suitable to use in rehabilitation centres.
• both protections are difficult to put on and take off due to the fact that undressing is needed in both incidents. Furthermore, because both protections are worn directly on the skin at great number of protections as well as washing procedures are needed for hygiene considerations . Additionally, some users prefer to wear their own underwear and others dislike the feeling of something being glued to or adhering to their skin. By wearing underpants having protection means or self-sitting protectors an increase of the proportions of the hip is obtained. Due to the fact that this protection is worn beneath clothes and the proportion of the hips is increased, the wearer often feels less attractive, wherefore some persons refrain from wearing the hip protection during public activities. In some cases, the person's clothes will no longer fit, when a person begins to wear hip protectors beneath the clothes.
• hip protectors that they can put on easily when they feel particular at risk, i.e. during exercise, while cleaning, while walking the dog, during other physical activity, at night when going to the bathroom, in the winter when it can be slippery, etc. and take of as easily afterwards.
• many persons in the risk groups mentioned are choosing not to wear hip protector means of the known types, even though they are statistically exposed to hip fractures from falling.
• the persons who fractured their hips during the trial period for different reasons did not wear the underpants with hip protector means and therefore were not protected, when they fell and fractured their hip.
• hip protection which protects the human body of the wearer sufficiently in the case of e.g. falling. Furthermore, a need for the protection to be easily attached before an activity and detached after the end of the activity without limiting the wearer during the activity, and which will give the human body the same protection as the pants with protection means, so that more persons will protect themselves when they are most exposed. There is thus a need for a protection of the hip during an activity of the human body, which is easily attached before and detached after the activity. Furthermore, there is a need for a protection, which can transport the heat out from the human body produced during such activity.
• a protection which can be worn during the nightly visit to the toilet, e.g. put on before leaving the bedside and taken off when back in the bed again, so that no removal of tight fitting underpants and therefore the risk of falling during the undressing of the underwear is reduced and the hips can be protected, even during the toilet visit.
• a hip protector that is aesthetically pleasing, comfortable to wear and suitable to use during activity, that may be worn on top of normal clothes. This could contribute to convincing people in the risk groups that it is acceptable to wear hip protectors and to show them.
• a hip protection that is suitable for use in rehabilitation situations, which is easy to put on, easy to adjust in size, and can be worn by different patients without hygiene issues.
• An object of the present invention is to overcome wholly or partly the above disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. More specifically, it is an object to provide a device for the protection of the hips of a human body in case of falling, which is easily attached before an activity, and easily detached when the activity is finished, and which protection will remain securely in place during the activity and not limit the activity of the wearer of the hip protection. Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device which can remain securely in place during an activity and which may provide a secure fixation of the protection means. Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device which is easily put on, positioned correctly and fastened by an elderly person.
• An additional object of the present invention is to provide a protection of the hip which is easy to produce.
• the device may fit a certain range of sizes of the human body because of the elasticity of the material or adjustment means, and the device further fits wearers with different body shapes due to the fact that the device is mainly fastened by friction between the inner surface of the device and the surface of the wearers body or clothes with the aid of the friction enhancing means .
• the friction enhancing means of the in- ner surface ensures that the device, when worn, cannot slide upwards, downwards or sideways during an activity, by which the protection means during the activity is kept in the right position over the greater trochanter.
• the fric- tion enhancing means may comprise a structured surface.
• the friction between the surface of the wearers skin or clothes and the inner surface of the device is enhanced because the surface is barbed by the structure of the surface.
• the structured inner surface of the device can engage with the outer surface of the wearers skin or clothes and by differently structured surfaces of the inner surface of the hip protector device, the hip protector device may fit different kinds of surfaces of the wearer, e.g. from the skin to under- wear and outdoor clothing.
• the friction enhancing means may be adapted to increase the friction in the vertical or/and the horizontal direction of the device, preferably in both directions.
• the structured surface may comprise a plurality of substantially lateral circumferential beads.
• the structured surface comprises a plurality of beads substantially perpendicularly to the surrounding direction of the device according to an embodiment of the present invention. By beads in this direction it is achieved that the hip protector device is not moved in the circumferential direction of the wearer when active.
• the structured surface may comprise a plurality of projections according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. By a plurality of projections it is obtained to enhance the friction between the inner surface of the device and the wearers surface is enhanced, and the projections may be made in different patterns .
• the friction enhancing means may comprise friction enhancing material on the inner surface of the device, such as e.g. textile- based, rubber, silicone, elastane, neoprene or the like materials.
• friction enhancing material By using friction enhancing material, friction in all directions is achieved and the friction enhancing means will hereby prevent the device from moving upwards, downwards and sideways.
• the belt part may have at least one of the properties breathable, cushioning, moisture transporting, supporting or isolating. Hereby is obtained that one or more properties may be built into the device.
• the belt part may be made of a cushioning, elastic material, such as spacer fabric, laminated textile or foam material, such as neoprene or the like, or a combination thereof. Especially these materials have proven expedient to provide a device, wherein one or more properties may be incorporated.
• the device may comprise locking means, such as loops/hooks, button/buttonholes, hook/eye, press studs or buckles etc. The possibility for a person to easily put on or remove the device while sitting down is hereby achieved, e.g. before activity, rehabilitation, in bed or the like.
• the protection means may be made of a rigid, semi-rigid or softer material proven to be able to prevent hip fractures .
• the belt part may comprise receiving means, which have been adapted to keep the protection means securely in place and which receiving means are either open or closed.
• open receiving means it is achieved that the hip protection means may be removed before washing, if they are of a type that does not stand the particular washing method.
• closed receiving means the protection means are always secured in the device and cannot be forgotten to be put in the device, e.g after washing.
• the belt part may comprise protection means for protection of the coccyx or the lower part of the spine.
• both the hip, the coccyx and/or the lower part of the spine are pro- tected to some extent by the same device.
• the width of the hip protector device in the direction perpendicular to the surrounding direction may at least correspond to the height of the protection means in the area of the hip, so as to keep the protection means securely in place .
• FIG. 1 shows in perspective a device according to the invention
• Fig. 2 shows in perspective the device with a plurality of substantially lateral circumferential beads on the inner surface of the device according to an embodiment of the invention
• Fig. 3 shows in perspective another embodiment of the inner surface of the device according to the invention
• Fig. 4 shows in perspective the device with both protection of the hip and the coccyx
• Fig. 5 shows in perspective the device as a pull-on device
• Fig. 6 shows the structured inner surface with a plurality of projections
• Fig. 7 shows a cross sectional view of the belt part according to one embodiment of the invention. All the figures are highly schematical and not necessarily to scale, and they show only parts which are necessary in order to elucidate the invention, other parts have been omitted or merely suggested.
• Description of the Preferred Embodiments Fig. 1 shows a device 1 for protection of a hip of the human body according to the invention, in which a belt part 10 has been arranged to surround the human body at the height of the hips.
• the belt part 10 is at least partly made of an elastic material and is further provided with an inner surface 2, an outer surface 3 and hip protection means 4. Furthermore, the inner surface comprises at least partly friction enhancing means to ensure that the hip protection means 4 stay in place, which is illustrated by a dotted line in Fig. 1.
• the hip protection means are here shown as implemented in the elastic material of the belt part 10, but may also be fastened on the outside of the belt part 10 or on the inside of the belt part 10.
• the device 1, shown in Fig. 1 have a height a in the area of the hip which at least is the same height b of the hip protection means. In this embodiment the height a is larger than that of b.
• the de- vice furthermore comprises an anatomically shaped form, i.e. a cutting out at the bottom of the device towards the legs of the wearer of the device so to allow sitting down comfortably as well as give space to the movement of the legs during activity.
• the protection means 4 are made of a rigid, semi rigid or softer material, which has been proven to give adequate protection of the hips in case of a fall.
• the friction enhancing means may according to an aspect of the present invention comprise a structured surface 5, which may be in form of a plurality of substantially lateral circumferential beads 5. Each bead is mechanically engaging with the surface of the persons skin or clothes, so as to keep the device and the protection means from moving either upwards, downwards or sideways during activity.
• the inner surface of the device may be ribbed, ridged, corrugated, grooved, wavy or the like, in order to provide the necessary friction between the wearer and the inner surface of the device.
• the structured surface 2 may comprise a plurality of beads 5 substantially perpendicular to the surrounding direction of the device 1 (not shown) . These beads 5 ensure that the device 1 and the protection means 4 remain in place in the circumferential direction of the person wearing the device 1.
• Fig. 3 is shown a check pattern in a further embodiment of the present invention so that both direction is incorporated in the friction enhancing means, whereby the device and the protection means 4 remain in the right position given by the person when putting on the device 1. The matter is that a se- curely fixation of the device and thereby of the protection means is obtained.
• an adjustable closure means by the belt part 10 overlaps in the area above the cut area 9.
• the adjustable closure means 8 may for instance be hooks/loops placed adjacent to each other, thereby achieving a possibility for fitting the belt part 10 within a specific range to different wearers or different layers of clothes worn by the wearer.
• a structured surface, comprising a plurality of substantially lateral circumferential beads, a plurality of projections or other friction enhancing structure may all be manufactured in the same process as the elastic mate- rial used for the belt part, for instance by knitting. By this, it is obtained that at least one process may be avoided in comparison with friction enhancing means, which is made in a subsequent treatment of the inner sur- face of the device .
• the belt part 10 may further comprise protection means 7 for protection of the coccyx of the human body shown by a dotted line in Fig. 4.
• the device 1 besides providing a protection of the hips, also comprises a protection of the coccyx, so as to prevent fractures of the human body being caused by falls.
• the devices 1 shown in Figs . 1 to 4 are all shown as comprising locking means 8.
• the locking means are shown by a dotted line 8 in order to indicate locking means such as loops/hooks.
• the locking means are shown as two press studs 8.
• Fig. 3 the locking means are shown by a dotted line, so as to indicate locking means such an adjustable loops/hooks closure 8.
• the device may as well be locked by buttons/buttonholes, hook/eye, buckles or the like. Additionally, the locking means may be adjustable, so the device may be tightened more or less and adjusted to fit different body sizes within a certain range.
• the device 1 is opened by unlocking the locking means 8 and subsequently placing the hip protector device around the body, so that the hip protection means 4 are placed over the greater trochanter, and finally the device 1 is locked by connecting the locking means 8 arranged on the opposite sides of the ends of an open de- vice 1.
• the device 1 is shown as a closed cylinder, which is put on by pulling it over the head or the feet of the wearer and placed around the body, with the hip protection means placed over the greater trochanter.
• the devices shown in Figs. 1 to 4 may in other embodiments be produced as a closed cylinder instead of a lock- able device, in which the friction enhancing means and the elastic material of the device provide the fixation of the device in the right position over the hip of the human body during activity.
• this embodiment may be preferred by some users, as the lack of closing means 8 would make the device less bulky.
• the structured surface may further advantageously comprise a plurality of projections 6, as shown by example in Fig. 6. This structure may also be combined with the beads 5 mentioned above.
• Fig. 7 is shown a cross sectional view taken through a belt part according to the invention.
• the friction enhancing means 5, 6 may according to an advantageous aspect of the present invention exist in the form of a friction enhancing material on the inner surface 2, such as e.g. textile based, rubber, silicone, elastane, neoprene, or the like materials.
• the inner surfaces may in that case either be plane or structured.
• the belt part 10 may have at least one of the properties breathable, cushioning, moisture transporting, supporting or isolating, such as warming or cooling, so that the device 1 is comfortable to wear during a more or less demanding activity.
• the belt part 10 is made of a cushioning, elastic material, such as spacer fabric, lami- nated textile or foam material, such as neoprene or the like or a combination thereof.
• the friction enhancing means and/or friction enhancing material may be knitted into a spacer fabric, which comprises several important properties such as elasticity, cushioning, breathable and support.
• the protection means 4 may be centred over the greater trochanter, and a further protection may be centred over the coccyx, which is often also exposed during a fall .
• the device 1 may have an outer surface 3 with a smooth design, to ease the movement of clothes over the device, when the wearer chooses to wear the device underneath some of his or her clothing.
• the inner surface comprises material, which is comfortable to wear for the person.
• the device according to the invention is especially expedient when being used by active elderly persons, persons having osteoporosis or persons attending rehabilitation.
• the device 1 may comprise hydrophobic materials. It is hereby achieved that the device may be used regardless of the weather.
• the invention further relates to a method for producing a device as outlined previously by knitting the belt part with integrated friction enhancing means.
• the knitting process may use elas- tane in some areas and not in other areas of for instance a spacer fabric, whereby tension differences are obtained throughout the knitted spacer fabric so as a zig-zag structure may be achieved.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Professional, Industrial, Or Sporting Protective Garments (AREA)
• Orthopedics, Nursing, And Contraception (AREA)
• Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
• Crystals, And After-Treatments Of Crystals (AREA)
• Devices For Checking Fares Or Tickets At Control Points (AREA)
• Component Parts Of Construction Machinery (AREA)
• Soil Working Implements (AREA)

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Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Citations (4)

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• 2004
  • 2004-11-16 DE DE602004006293T patent/DE602004006293T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2004-11-16 JP JP2006540167A patent/JP2007511301A/ja active Pending
  • 2004-11-16 DK DK04797452T patent/DK1684604T3/da active
  • 2004-11-16 EP EP04797452A patent/EP1684604B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2004-11-16 AT AT04797452T patent/ATE361006T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-11-16 US US10/579,822 patent/US20070067895A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2004-11-16 WO PCT/DK2004/000791 patent/WO2005048755A1/en active IP Right Grant

Patent Citations (4)

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